Detention window



H. .G. PILLSBURY DETENTION WINDOW Sept. 25, 1945.

Filed Sept. 4, 1944 F'Tal.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Howa n2 0 6- INVENTOR. Pnnssuav Sept. 25, 1945. H. G.PILLSBURY DETENTION WINDOW Filed Sept. 4, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 uli FTe'7.'- FTC-b. 9.

INVENTOR. HOWARD 6. Pmsauav nr ronmsvs.

Patented Sept. 25, 1945 DETENTION WINDOW Howard G. Pillsbury, Detroit,Mich, assignor to Chamberlin Company of tion of Michigan America, acorpora- Application September 4, 1944, Serial No. 552,614

Claims. (01. 160-353) This invention relates to detention screen guards,such as are used in hospitals, insane asylums, or other institutions forsafeguarding insane or violent patients against injury or escape, by aguard that withstands either shocks produced by heavy impacts orattempts to cut or penetrate the screen with knives, screw drivers orlike instruments, or any other method of attack, and which guardresembles an ordinary fly screen and avoids any appearance'ofrestraining bars.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved guard of this kindin which the screen panel and its frame-are mounted yieldingly in asupport for movement in a direction normal to the plane of the panelitself and with little or no motion in said plane.

Another object is to simplify and improve the construction so as toreduce cost, while still protecting the screen against injury or damageby the patient and the patient against the effects of his own violence.

Further objects of the invention in part are obvious and in part willappear more in detail hereinafter.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 represents an elevation of a portion. of one form of guardembodying the invention, portions of the frame being brokenout to exposeinterior parts; I

Fig. 2 is a detail cross section on the line 2-2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a similar View showing the parts in the positions assumed uponimpact with the screen panel;

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of one of the springs, the sectionbeing taken on the line 4-4, Fig. 3, and

Figs. 5, 6, '7 and 9 are detail views, corresponding to Fig. 2, andillustrating other forms of the invention; and

Fig. 8 is a view corresponding to Fig. 4 and showing the spring used inFig. 5.

The detention guard shown in the drawings comprises a movable screenmember and means for mounting it yieldably in a suitable support, suchas a main frame, in such manner as to withstand successfully the usualshocks and jars to which such guards are subjected in use, such asimpacts upon the screen by the hands, or by a patient attempting to divethrough the screen, or by tools, such as knives or heavy objects, suchas a chair or bed post.

The screen member consists of a suitable subframe, preferably strong andrigid, shaped to the which subframe is attached the screen panel- Thescreen panel, shown at H), usually is made of strong woven wire with amesh fine enough to serve as a fly screen. At the same timeit must bestrong en-oughto withstand cutting. Therefore, wire made of strongstainless steel alloy, or. any equivalent therefor, is suitable. Theedges of the screen panel are suitably secured in the I panelorsub-frame, which may be separate from or a part of the main frame,aswill appear. In Figs. 1 to 3, the main frame consists of two membersII, I2, of which member I I is stationarya-nd member I2 is movable andforms the subframe before referred to. The edge portions of the screenpanel ID are folded around a steel strip I 3, and with said striparefirmly clamped, by the screws I4, between a solid bar I5 and a flangefliof member I2, as shown in Fig. 2. Members II, I2 are of generallysimilarform, the flanges I6 along their inner edges being offset fromthe general planes of saidmembers and lying parallelto each other butspaced apart, and their Quteredges being provided with flanges I'Iextending normally to the planes of said members and overlapping eachother. p Member II is provided with means for attaching it to-thestationarywindowor door frame, shown conventionally at I8, such as aflange I9 through which securing screws 20 may extend, preferably on theoutside of the building opening where they are inaccessible to patients,since this window is designed as a guard against patients within thebuilding rather than unauthorized entry from without.

Adjacent their inner and outer edges the two members are secured againstseparation, as by bolts 2| and pins 22 on one or both members extendingthrough elongated slots 23 in the flanges of the other member, as shownin Figs. 2 and 6.

Members II, I2 being spaced apart, they together form a housingenclosing a chamber 24.

This contains the yielding means effective upon the screen panel. Saidmeans may be either of the tension or compression type, depending uponthe manner of mounting. In Figs. 2 and 6, the member I2, to which thescreen panel is attached, is exposed to the building interior. Ittherefore moves outwardly and toward member II upon impact from within.Accordingly, at intervals around the periphery of the main frame, sayevery 3-4 inches, I provide springs of any suitable form. In Fig. 6these are spiral compression springs 25a with their ends confined bypilots 26. ?In Figs. 2 and 4, they are leaf springs 25b of bowed form,with their arches 21 held under pins 28 and their free ends confined toslide between small guide flanges 29.

In either case, upon application of force or impact to the inside of thescreen panel, the

entire screen member, including the wire panel and the subframe members[2 to which it is attached move outwardly, or in a direction normal tothe plane of the screen panel, either flexing the leaf springs in Fig.4or shortening the spiral springs in Fig. 6. Said springs thus permityielding motion and cushion the shock, avoiding or preventing eitherinjury or damageto the screen itself or to the cause of the impact, suchas the insane patients arms or head.

Movable member I 2, it will be noted, i so;

mounted in the frame as to be practically. immovable in the plane of thescreen panel. Thus, all impact is taken up by yielding motion of. theparts in a direction normal to the screen panel, except for that slightmotion necessary for free movement and to compensate for incidentalslight bending of the subframe members, as i will be readily understood.

The arrangements illustrated in Figs. 5 and 7 require no extendeddescription, since they differ from the forms shown mainly in the use oftension rather than compression springs. For example, in Fig. 7 thespiral tension springs 250 have their ends secured to-small brackets 30fastened to the frame members I I, I2, of which the movable member I2 ison the outside of the building and therefore movable away from member II upon internal impact uponthe screen. In Fig. 8 the leaf springs d havetheir opposite end portions engaged under pins 3| similar to pins 28,compelling fiexure of the spring arms upon impact. Otherwise this formis like that shown in Fig. '7.

In Fig. 9, the screen panel [0 is fastened'in a rigid'subframe 32mounted between an abutment flange 33 of member l2 and a spring beadmember '34 which may be snapped into place, as shown, to lock itsfflangebehind the shouIder formed by a rolled portion of the metal at'35.

Insertable and removable spacers 36 may be used to fill the spaceback ofthe panel frame. The spiralspring shown is of the tension variety, as inFig. '7, and members! I, I2 separate upon impact.

All frame members, of course, are mitered at the corners and, except forthe snap in bead members 34, are also secured to each other at thecorners, as by welding.

In all forms the screen panel is mounted for yield in a direction normalto its own plane, with little or no motion in its own plane. Theconstructions are, simple to fabricate and to mount in place.

Other advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled inthe art.

".What I claim is:

1. A guard screen for windows, doors or the like, "comprising a screenpanel having a rigid peripheral-1y extending subframe to which its edgeportions are secured, a main frame member upon in claim 1, inwhichthemain and subframes move away from each other upon the application offorce to the screen panel from the interior of the building.

4. A guard screen of the character described in claim 1, in which themain and subframes move toward each other upon the application'of

